Summary
During the Kamakura period, Aoto Fujitsuna was an important official of the shogunate. One winter day, he accidentally dropped some coins while crossing a river. "Even if it's just a small amount, we must search for it," Aoto instructed his retainers and hired villagers to conduct a search. "Whoever finds the ten mon coins will receive a reward of fifty mon!" he declared.
The retainers searched desperately, but their bodies froze in the cold water. "It's so cold! I don't care anymore," one of them grumbled, when suddenly a man shouted, "I've found it!" Aoto, excited, asked, "Really?" The man replied, "I found three mon," and then he continued to discover two mon and three mon coins one after another. Eventually, he found all ten mon.
Aoto was overjoyed, saying, "Wonderful! In addition to the fifty mon reward, I will give you an extra one hundred mon!" The workers cheered in excitement, shouting, "Tonight we celebrate!" However, the man who found the coins was actually a con artist and had engaged in wrongdoing against Aoto. He laughed, saying, "I was just pretending to search for Aoto-sama's coins; I used my own coins instead!"
The other workers scolded him, yelling, "Aoto-sama values the nation's treasures. A fraudster like you is unforgivable!" Meanwhile, Aoto heard rumors about the man and commanded that he be brought to him. The man resigned and confessed his wrongdoing. "In truth, I cannot forgive you for deceiving me. However, since you found the ten mon, I will let you off this time. But do not engage in wrongdoing again!"
Under Aoto's orders, the man was to search the river naked until he found the ten mon as punishment. "It's cold..." he muttered, yet he soon became the center of attention. A few days later, he finally found all ten mon. "Your crime is serious, but since you splendidly found the ten mon, I will forgive you," Aoto stated.
Later, Aoto investigated the man with thick eyebrows and discovered that he was a former samurai who had become a ronin due to certain circumstances. Recognizing the man's admirable conduct, Aoto summoned him again as a samurai and helped him achieve great success.
